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Mindhunter - Season 1
Mindhunter - Season 1
2017 | Crime
The Content (1 more)
The Concept
The Characters (0 more)
Slow Yet Twisted
I had a friend recommend this show to me and I thought, alright I'm constantly attempting to figure out why people's minds work the way they do, this could be interesting. Let me tell you right off the bat, push through that first episode, I promise you it gets more interesting. The first episode is a disaster, there's too much shoved in there (one second Ford is an active agent, then suddenly he's teaching, straight after he's at college, then he's working in the BSU) it was dull at best and dead confusing at worst. While the content is interesting, the characters and the relationships are odd and strained. Ford comes across like an actual serial killer (especially when he does that creepy wide-eyed stare *shivers*), he's socially awkward, his mannerisms feel stunted and strange and overall he is not a likeable character. I like to feel connected in some way to the characters I'm watching and at this stage Ed is more relatable than Ford (which is terrifying because - actual murderer there ?). The girlfriend is even worse, they both feel just - forced (and what's with the weirdly placed sex scenes?! They don't add anything to the story at all!) There's oddly placed scenes which are weird and don't make sense (Carr and the tuna/invisible cat - why - just why was that in there? It wasn't necessary and what was the point of that? Was it supposed to be creepy? Unsettling? Because for me it was just random and pointless). Tench is the only consistant, interesting character (who, bless him, smokes waaaay too much). Overall the show is slow, which admittedly can be a good thing, especially because at first they see so much resistance to the idea that people aren't always just 'born bad', but it never really picks up speed (like you're kind of expecting it to). The last episode is very odd, Ford becomes confusing and erratic, which is a complete 360 from his dead-eyed emotionally inept character in the first episodes. Is he having a breakdown? Is he realising he shares traits with the violent killers he's interviewing? The ending didn't make sense to me at all. I give the show an 8 for content because it is super fascinating, and appropriately disturbing but character wise it's definitely a 5, you just never really 'connect' with anyone. That being said, I will watch the next season, because it's still an interesting show, though it will be at the bottom of my 'to watch' list.
  
AC
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I ordered this book off of Amazon when it recommended it with another purchase. I thought sure why not, and ended up with a permanent addition to my collections. If there is one thing I love more than erotic, is historical erotica, especially a well written on.

Before I gush over how much I fell in love with this novel, I will state the only thing that annoyed me about this novel which is Cassandra’s want of independence. First of all, I guess I can understand her in a sense, but for the time she lives in, she seems to be asking too much. Not to mention, at a certain point, she became annoying about it. We get it, you want your independence. Now please stop kicking the dead horse.

Beyond that, this was a really good a read. Very few erotic novels have such great plotlines to go along with their delicious erotic scenes. I loved that this novel had both. I also liked that the sex wasn’t what the two fall in love. Like any normal human being, Mark worries for Cassandra when he realizes someone has tried to harm her. As they spend more and more time together, their feelings grow. You can actually watch the progression of them falling in love.

A must read for historical erotica readers everywhere.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Cajun Kiss of Death in Books

Aug 16, 2021 (Updated Aug 16, 2021)  
Cajun Kiss of Death
Cajun Kiss of Death
Ellen Byron | 2021 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Celebrity Chef Comes to Call
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and the town of Pelican, Louisiana, is buzzing about the new restaurant getting ready to open. It’s the latest from celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson, and this one will have an emphasis on Cajun food. However, Phillippe isn’t ingratiating himself with his new community, and several people have fights with him, including Maggie Crozat’s friend, JJ, the owner of a popular local restaurant, and Maggie’s own mother. The night of the restaurant’s official opening is more explosive than anyone planned, and in the aftermath, someone is dead. Will Maggie figure out what is going on?

It’s always a pleasure to return to Pelican. I absolutely love the characters, and the growth we’ve seen in them and their relationships continues here. There are several sub-plots, so something is always going on, and I had a hard time putting the book down. Since this is the last book planned in the series (at least for now), we get a wonderful epilogue that will leave fans very happy. As usual, there are recipes and a few notes on the reality behind the fiction at the end. Fans will be delighted with this visit, and if you haven’t met the characters yet, you need to fix that today.
  
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Jeff Bridges recommended Tideland (2006) in Movies (curated)

 
Tideland (2006)
Tideland (2006)
2006 | Drama, Sci-Fi

"Another movie that I’ll maybe bring some attention to… not one of, but I think the strangest movie that I’ve ever been involved with, with the strangest character was a Terry Gilliam movie called Tideland. And this one is really great. We had a wonderful time making it. You know, these big-budgeted movies… Fisher King was a pretty big-budget movie and Terry kind of goes after these big-budget things that need a lot of money to pull off what he has in mind. But this one was very low-tech and not a giant budget movie. We shot it in Canada and I play a junkie rock star in it for some of the film, and for a lot of the film, I’m a carcass, you know, a dead body. It’s based on a great book with the same title by Mitch Cullin, and very, very surreal. I’d even stretch it and say it’s the weirdest movie that Terry has ever made, for my tastes (although everyone’s got different tastes). But it’s macabre."

Source
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) Jan 9, 2022

Fantastic film!

Hostile (2017)
Hostile (2017)
2017 | Thriller
6
5.3 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Claustraphobic (1 more)
Good ramping up of tension
Side plot is tenuous, and a bit cliched (0 more)
Here in my car, I feel safest of all...
An interesting if not overly original premise, Hostile tells the post apocalyptic tale of a woman in the desert, trapped and injured under her overturned vehicle, whilst being stalked by a mutant creature.

It does a decent job of creating a world and setting for a modest budget, and though its attempts to avoid showing too much for financial reasons are a little transparent at times.

The film oscillates between the post apocalyptic and the pre-catastrophe, and the performances of the main cast are good enough to maintain interest even when going though the largely melodramatic character building of the contemporary setting.

It is ultimately reminiscent of movies like open water, 47 feet under, and even some episodes of the Walking Dead, with the stranded survivor having to survive whilst essentially trapped in one location.

It is a slow burn movie, and very character based, so you spend a lot of time with our protagonist, who was a little cliched, and hard to like most of the time, but a decent enough performance that you can get through the more dialogue heavy parts.

A decent film, and at only 80 minutes, not a huge investment of your time, so might be worth a look if you like your survival movies a bit wasteland-y.
  
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
Sullivan's Travels (1941)
1941 | Action, Classics, Comedy
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I saw this for the first time at CalArts [and] since then I’ve become a big fan of all Preston Sturges films. Again, I [had] already chosen what I wanted to do for a living but [this] story touched me so deeply. Here’s a guy who makes comedies during the Depression and he’s so isolated in Hollywood [that] he sets out to learn what’s going on with people. He becomes a hobo. And he ends up way in the South and [is] put into this work prison. And everyone in Hollywood believes that he’s dead, that a hobo stole his coat and was killed by a train. And so he’s there and [he can’t] get word back that he’s still alive. It’s a horrible situation. For Christmas Eve, at the depth of his misery, a black church in the segregated South invites all the prisoners out. And they sit there and what they watch is a Pluto cartoon. It’s the famous scene of Pluto getting the flypaper stuck on him and he can’t get it off. And [the audience] starts howling with laughter. Howling with laughter. People who you wouldn’t think would still have laughter in their bodies. And Sullivan came out of this and gets back to Hollywood and everyone’s like, “Oh, you had this horrible situation, you must make a great drama.” And he goes, “No, I’m going to make a comedy. Because that’s what the world needs.”"

Source
  
The Burning Dead (2015)
The Burning Dead (2015)
2015 | Horror
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
So, If you’re on the east coast you’re no doubt experiencing the unusually harsh ‘arctic waves’. If you’re on the west coast you have to deal with the unseasonably warm weather.

Whether it’s trying to stay warm and keep the fires burning or finding the shade and a cool beverage, either you or someone you know is going to bring up the following idea ‘ … B-Movie Horror Marathon’.

 

Today we’ve got a prime candidate for just such a marathon. ‘The Burning Dead’ staring the legendary Danny Trejo! Now, When I describe a B-movie of the horror genre, I’m not talking about legendary franchises like ‘Friday The 13th’ or ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’. No no no no no. I’m talking about a movie worthy of getting critiqued by the original crew of ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’. Something like an episode of the ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ T.V. show minus the awesome cast, a smaller budget, questionable computer-generated special effects, and no Joss Whedon at the helm. This movie isn’t without merit though. I mean c’mon. It’s got Danny Trejo in it so it definitely deserves a shot right?!

 

‘The Burning Dead’ stars Danny Trejo, Thomas Downey, Adam Gregor, Nicole Cummins, Moniqua Plante, Julia Lehman, Robert F. Lyons, Kyle T. Heffner, Kevin Norman, and Jenny Lin.

Our story opens with the Native American warrior Night Wolf (Trejo) and several members

of his family gathered around the campfire as he begins to share the tale the infamous ‘Donner Party’ and the madness that engulfed the early settlers was caused by an evil spirit that resided in the nearby mountain after defeating a ‘good spirit’ many years early. Fast forward to present day, Sheriff Denton is supervising the evacuation of a town in the shadow of the mountain after it begins to show signs of an impending eruption. Little do he and the townspeople know that

there will not only be a volcanic eruption, but the evil spirit residing within will unleash a horde of flesh-eating zombies that spit hot lava and ravage everything in their path!

 

Yeah yeah. I little too dramatic I know. I gotta give it some credit though. The actors and actresses do give a great performance under the circumstances attempting to be as serious as possible and the ‘lava zombie’ effects are quite well done considering. When the zombies ‘go to work’ there’s a definite ick factor too. Certainly not ‘Walking Dead’ gross but they get the point across. The soundtrack is almost annoying though as its the same track or variations of on a loop over and over again. I think from time to time, the writers may have consulted the ‘scary movie’ handbook because at one point, they do throw in hot chic who randomly shows up at the mountain during the evacuation, sets up a camera in front of the volcano and proceeds to strip while the camera is photographing the mountain in auto. We all know what happens to the ‘hot chic’ in a scary flick that strips down to her underwear or more yes? Predictable but mildly entertaining.

 

Honestly, I was expecting and hoping to see Trejo show up a lot more in the movie and kick some bad guy ass or in this case, some zombie ass. I think how I described it earlier is the best way to sum it up, ‘ It’s like a really bad episode of ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer ‘ minus the cast and character line up and no Joss Whedon at the helm. I’m giving it 2 out of 5 stars. This one just barely scrapes by. Definitely NOT one for the kids. Don’t waste your money on seeing it in theaters. Take my advice, and add it to the lineup for a B-Movie Horror marathon at home.

Sorry Danny … You just barely saved this one.